Let It Shine
by SilverNee
Summary: Akira Hyūga is an absolute mute. She won't make a sound, yet, she is able to talk. As time goes on, others are hoping she will open to her teammates, and hopefully, friends. Will she be able to snap out of such a thing? Will she actually speak?


_This little light of mine, _

_I'm going to let it shine. _

_This little light of mine, _

_I'm going to let it shine. _

The young girl cowered behind her mother as they heard the commotion from outside the room. Somebody had started to raid their house looking for something in particular. The brown haired woman just sang lightly to keep her daughter calm in such a moment. Her knuckles turned paste white as she gripped some scrolls. These _intruders _were not getting paste her. Aim that was 100% perfect, and a daughter to protect, she was making sure they wouldn't get past the door. A crash was heard from outside the door as the girl squeaked as she hid behind her mother's leg.

_This little light of mine, _

_I'm going to let it shine. _

_Oh, let it shine, let shine!_

_Oh, let it shine!_

Ivory, almost mixed with light violet, eyes stared in shock, and most particularly horror, as she saw weapons being fired in all directions. Her mother never once ceased to stop twirling the scrolls in front of her to release multitudes of weapons. Kunai bounced off the walls as the dull ends hit them. The brown haired woman just huffed, condensed breath coming out in puffs, as her brown eyes flickered in all directions. The intruders had disappeared, but she was sure they hadn't retreated.

"Mommy!" the child's voice ran throughout the room.

The woman twirled to face her daughter only to gasp. One of the intruders, dressed in all black, held a kunai to her neck. The little girl whimpered as she watched the room being surrounded by ninja on the inside. The woman just growled slightly as she opened a scroll slightly. She wasn't going to hit her daughter, no; she was going to hit the man holding her hostage. The ninja just snickered as they shot toward the woman like a flash of light. Ivory eyes widened as she felt blood hit skin. Her world came crashing down as village ninja flooded the room to capture the intruders. She just sat by her mother, lying in her own pool of blood, as she cried hard into her knees. This experience, the sight of her own mother being killed before her, caused too much for the little girl. Dark brown hair moved slightly as she sobbed loudly.

_Oh_, _let it shine, let shine!_

_Oh, let it shine! _

* * *

"As a final test of your learnt skills," the teacher commanded in front of the class, "you will have to prove to me everything can be used in just one jutsu."

The class hadn't learned any jutsus particularly; however, they were told to learn one for their graduation exam. Ivory eyes just stared out the window as she turned to look toward her teacher. She didn't make a sound as Iruka-sensei had told them they had to perform a clone jutsu technique to pass the academy. Another ivory eyed girl stared at her cousin in a bit of sadness. Her blonde hair just shook as she just turned back toward the blackboard. Her cousin, Akira Hyūga, had never spoke a word once while in the academy. Also, it had been known that she didn't come to the academy a year before her. She remembered Akira used to be a bright and happy child that would play with her.

"Akira, are you listening?" Iruka asked as he stared at her.

Akira's eyes widened slightly as she just nodded her head once to him. She hadn't to seem as if she was not paying attention; her mind just tends to wander off on certain occasions. Iruka just sighed as he just started talking again, "Now, the Clone Jutsu Technique is an E-ranked jutsu. All of you should be able to perform this jutsu. Though, it doesn't need to be learnt in perfection, as you all know your Hokage was not able to pass his gradua -"

"Don't tell them that, Iruka," a familiar voice resounded throughout the academy. A blonde haired man walked into the room with regular clothes on at the moment. His eyes scanned the room and spotted his daughter. She just waved shyly at him before he turned to look at the whole class. "I have come to ask all of you an important question!" The class blinked as they waited for him to ask his important question. "What kind of Raman do all of you recommend?" Half the class fell out of their seats at the question. Mia Uzumaki just face palmed at the exact same time her cousin did at the question. Akira may not talk and live in a bought of permanent depression, but she still had her moments when another emotion escaped her.

"It's an important question!" Naruto whined. "No appreciation. None!"

"I suppose they would appreciate you a lot more if such questions weren't asked, Lord Hokage," a stern, almost emotionless voice commented. "Not many hokages barged into an academy classroom to ask about the type of Raman students recommend."

"Neji!" he shouted, spinning around. "No Lord Hokage stuff, and Raman is worth to be an important question! What are you doing here anyway? No missions today?"

"Well, you didn't give me any as soon as I came back from my last mission," he answered. "As for why I'm here, I've come to pick up Akira. Today is an important day, though, I suppose I should thank you. She seems a lot happier now then I'm sure she was when she showed for class."

He had noticed her face palm at Naruto's question. The girl, in question, stood from her seat and walked toward the taller Hyūga without making much of a peep. He just sighed sadly at her. Ever since that night, she had become a mute. Akira never uttered a peep to anybody which worried him. If only he hadn't been a mission … Naruto gave him a look as he realized the thoughts Neji had running through his mind. As much as the Hyūga denied it, Naruto knew he blamed a lot of it on himself.

"Let's go, Akira. I'm sure your mother would be happy if you talk to her this year, though."

_I'm sure she doesn't want me to talk to her ever,_ thought Akira. _I was the reason she died that night. I'm weaker then everybody thinks, father._

The girl just followed him out the door as she faintly heard Iruka-sensei say that she needed to be at the academy on the dot tomorrow for the graduation exam. She did really well in all of her classes, so it was no surprise that he wanted her to be their exactly on time to be one of the first people to take the exam; however, she preferred not to show off in any fashion. The PTSD young girl would just stay silently, like always, and just do her absolute best. She had to show them that she wasn't weak. Of course, nobody really thought that anyway toward Akira. Her self-esteem just plummeted at that night. Being in a group of three Genin, Neji was hoping that it would help her to start talking once again.

_Just help her through it, Tenten._


End file.
